Biofilm Testing
Biofilm Testing Solutions to Ensure Efficacy and Safety in Antimicrobial Products
Biofilm-associated infections significantly impact the efficacy of antimicrobial products, often reducing their effectiveness and complicating treatment strategies. iFyber's biofilm testing services can help.
iFyber specializes in biofilm testing solutions to verify the efficacy of antimicrobial medical devices and drugs. These include but are not limited to antimicrobial dressings, bio-engineered tissue products, biomaterials, bioactive dressings, and novel anti-infectives.
Biofilms pose a major clinical threat. Current US National Institutes of Health estimates suggest biofilms account for over 80% of all microbial infections. Given the relatively recent understanding of biofilms, biofilm testing is becoming an increasingly common addition to the screening profile of new antimicrobial technologies.
By taking a multi-method biofilm testing approach, treatments can be evaluated for their ability to both prevent the formation of biofilms and eradicate existing biofilms. Whether you need biofilm susceptibility testing or to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of a product, you can get the data and answers you need with iFyber.
What are biofilms?
- Complex communities of microbes protected within a matrix of sugars, proteins, and extracellular DNA.
- Biofilms can form on a range of surfaces, including medical devices and human tissue systems.
- Compared to free-floating (planktonic) forms of microorganisms, biofilm-associated microorganisms are more difficult to kill due largely to the presence of this protective matrix and a reduction of metabolic activity.
Biofilm Models
iFyber offers a menu of assays and biofilm testing solutions that assess biofilm prevention and eradication efficacy, in addition to custom biofilm test models often needed for developing technologies to combat resistant biofilm infections.
Static biofilm models evaluate microbial attachment, biofilm formation, and antimicrobial efficacy under controlled laboratory conditions. These systems support a wide range of microorganisms, including well‑characterized reference strains and clinical isolates of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.
iFyber offers microtiter plate assays (96‑, 24‑, and 6‑well formats), the Bottom‑of‑the‑Plate assay, the Calgary Biofilm Device (MBEC), and coupon‑based biofilm models. Static platforms provide reproducible, high‑throughput formats for assessing biofilm formation, eradication, and treatment response using quantitative and qualitative endpoints such as viable cell counts (CFU), biofilm biomass (crystal violet), metabolic activity assays (ATP, resazurin, XTT), MBIC/MBEC determination, and microscopy‑based imaging.
Dynamic biofilm models incorporate continuous nutrient flow and shear stress to better mimic physiological conditions. These systems are well‑suited for evaluating mature biofilms, medical devices, surface coatings, and antimicrobial performance under clinically relevant flow environments.
iFyber offers the Modified Robbins Device (MRD), Drip Flow Reactor, Rotating Disk Reactor (RDR), and dynamic coupon‑based biofilm models. Treatment response and biofilm behavior can be assessed using endpoints such as viable cell counts (CFU), metabolic activity assays (ATP, resazurin, XTT), MBIC/MBEC determination, and advanced microscopy techniques including confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.
The Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) assay is a common high‑throughput method for evaluating antimicrobial activity against biofilms, but it is limited by organism compatibility and high variability.
iFyber’s Bottom‑of‑the‑Plate (BOTP) biofilm assay provides a more flexible and reliable alternative, enabling diverse microorganisms to form mature biofilms at the bottom of 96‑well plates. This model supports high‑throughput screening with reduced variability and is well‑suited for assessing biofilm prevention and eradication across a wide range of antimicrobial products.
The Porcine Dermal Model (PDM), originally developed by Dr. Greg Schultz, supports the growth of mature biofilms within a natural porcine dermal matrix, providing a clinically relevant soft‑tissue substrate. The resulting biofilms exhibit high antibiotic tolerance and closely mimic those found in human wounds.
iFyber routinely adapts this model to evaluate antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, creating wounded and infected tissue explants that enable high‑throughput screening across multiple assay formats, including prevention, eradication, dispersal, and synergy. This ex vivo system offers a practical, biologically relevant platform for testing compounds, prototype formulations, and wound dressings, complementing more costly in vivo studies.
Infections Associated with Biofilms:
- Chronic Infected Wounds
- Catheter-associated urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
- Central line-associated and catheter-related bloodstream Infections (CLABSI and CRBI)
- Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Suture Infection (ABSSSI)
- Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)
- Acute Otitis Media (Ear Infection)
- Acute Vulgaris
- Gingivitis
- Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infection
- And more
Examples of Relevant Materials for Biofilm Testing:
- New antibiotics/biocides
- Coatings
- Nanomaterials
- Wound dressings
- Gels and ointments
- Wound washes
- Coated natural tissue matrices
- Coated medical devices
- And more
Infections Associated with Biofilms:
- Chronic Infected Wounds
- Catheter-associated urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
- Central line-associated and catheter-related bloodstream Infections (CLABSI and CRBI)
- Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Suture Infection (ABSSSI)
- Ventilator-associated Pneumonia (VAP)
- Acute Otitis Media (Ear Infection)
- Acute Vulgaris
- Gingivitis
- Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infection
- And more
Examples of Relevant Materials for Biofilm Testing:
- New antibiotics/biocides
- Coatings
- Nanomaterials
- Wound dressings
- Gels and ointments
- Wound washes
- Coated natural tissue matrices
- Coated medical devices
- And more
Ready to elevate your research? Discover precision, expertise, and collaboration with iFyber. Contact us to discuss your biofilm testing needs.